Mum’s tragic fate. Daughter recalls how happy Mother’s Day turned tragic
After spending a happy Mother’s Day at a relative’s house, a family of six were met with tragedy after they lost their mother in a road accident on Sunday afternoon.
Dead is Milika Bolatolu, 53, who is said to have died at the scene at the Caubati Road junction in Nasinu.
Her daughter, Leilani Talei, 29, who recalled the lead-up to the tragic event before she lost consciousness, said she and her mother, three children and her uncle were on their way back home in Caubati from Valelevu.
She was speaking from her hospital bed at the CWM Hospital, with a neck brace attached yesterday.
In critical condition, are her two daughters. “We were trying to turn into Caubati Road,” Ms Talei said.
“Two taxis were racing towards Nausori. One of it had past us. It was unfortunate that the second had hit the passenger side where my mother was sitting,” she said.
Police are investigating the accident.
Ms Talei said as a result of the impact, her mother was thrown out of the vehicle.
“My daughters who were in Year 2 and my two-year-old daughter were seated with us in the backseat, while my Year 5 son sat in the front seat.”
Ms Talei said she was thrown to the boot of their vehicle. The vehicle is a Toyota Hybrid. She recalled that good Samaritans transported them to the Valelevu Health Centre.
“I was still in shock when all this was happening. Because of the impact, I kept losing consciousness,” she said.
“This morning, for no reason I screamed out ‘Na’.
“I asked my dad about her and he told me that she had passed away.”
Ms Talei said she was trying to remain strong for her children. The daughters had undergone surgery yesterday while her son and uncle are in stable condition.
According to Police, the accident occurred along the Caubati Road junction.
It is alleged that the vehicle had collided with a taxi which was heading towards Nausori.